Indelible or Favorite Moment in Boston Sports?
- Thread starter RetractableRoof
- Start date
Hard to beat the championships and Shakespearian tragedies, but one of my most memorable moments was being in the park for both Yaz's last game and Roger Clemens' last game for the Red Sox.
- The (Ned Martin announced) "pandemonium on the field" after the Sox won the last game of the '67 season
- John Wensink challenging the entire Minnesota North Star bench to fight in '77 (and no one taking him up on it)
- The unreleased Jack Kent Cook balloons in the rafters of the LA forum after the Celts stunned the Lakers in game 7 to win the '69 championship
- KG kissing the Celtics logo on the floor after winning the 2008 championship
- Dave Cowens driving a taxi around Boston Garden during the playoffs one year, and sleeping on a park bench on Boston Common the night of the C's winning the 1974 championship
- John Wensink challenging the entire Minnesota North Star bench to fight in '77 (and no one taking him up on it)
- The unreleased Jack Kent Cook balloons in the rafters of the LA forum after the Celts stunned the Lakers in game 7 to win the '69 championship
- KG kissing the Celtics logo on the floor after winning the 2008 championship
- Dave Cowens driving a taxi around Boston Garden during the playoffs one year, and sleeping on a park bench on Boston Common the night of the C's winning the 1974 championship
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Brief balloons reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_NBA_Finals#Game_7
That's amusing, today we kind of expect the teams to be ready to celebrate, but apparently that pissed off Russell and the Celtics.
Robert Kraft trying to dance at the first Super Bowl Championship ceremony after they beat the Rams.
The crowd shot of everyone at Fenway standing as one, arms straight in the air, just like Manny Ramírez at home plate after taking K-Rod deep to win the ALDS. I know the hit is a play, but this was an extended victory pose that everyone in the stadium got to take, which is why I throw it out there.
Tito and Lester conversing on the mound during the no-hitter. The ovation the crowd gave Tony Graffanino when he took the field in Game 3 of the 2005 ALDS after his error cost Boston a Game 2 win to put them in an 0-2 hole.
Lucic shoving his fingers into Alex Burrows's face to taunt him for biting Bergeron and Mark Recchi doing the same thing to Maxim Lapierre. The punching bag effect when one of the Sedin twins was getting pummeled in that same series.
Big Baby and Nate Robinson doing the Shrek and Donkey thing. Bruschi playing with his kids on the field before the Super Bowl.
The crowd shot of everyone at Fenway standing as one, arms straight in the air, just like Manny Ramírez at home plate after taking K-Rod deep to win the ALDS. I know the hit is a play, but this was an extended victory pose that everyone in the stadium got to take, which is why I throw it out there.
Tito and Lester conversing on the mound during the no-hitter. The ovation the crowd gave Tony Graffanino when he took the field in Game 3 of the 2005 ALDS after his error cost Boston a Game 2 win to put them in an 0-2 hole.
Lucic shoving his fingers into Alex Burrows's face to taunt him for biting Bergeron and Mark Recchi doing the same thing to Maxim Lapierre. The punching bag effect when one of the Sedin twins was getting pummeled in that same series.
Big Baby and Nate Robinson doing the Shrek and Donkey thing. Bruschi playing with his kids on the field before the Super Bowl.
So, yeah, Johnny Most was a major part of the fun for me of rooting for the Celtics in the 80s. Problem for this thread is it's mostly calls of plays. But maybe we can go with his tongue-lashing of the Bad Boys.
I had this record, and I mean 33 1/3 LP vinyl record, of the story of the 80-81 Celtics that was all clips of his broadcast and narrated by Most as well. And I think I wore that thing out. Maybe that qualifies. It was called "The New Celtic Pride".
My mom was in her late 60s in 2004, and one night I was talking to her on the phone and she said, "I haven't been to a Red Sox game since you and your brother were boys. I want to go to a Red Sox game."
I have weekend season tickets, so I said, "I'll take you Sunday. Come by the house and I'll take you out to lunch and we'll go to the game."
So mom's first game in 30 years was the game Varitek and ARod got into a fight and Bill Meuller hit a walk-off home run off Rivera into the bullpen and the Sox season got turned around.
I've taken my mom to a game every season since. She'll be 81 in a couple of weeks.
I have weekend season tickets, so I said, "I'll take you Sunday. Come by the house and I'll take you out to lunch and we'll go to the game."
So mom's first game in 30 years was the game Varitek and ARod got into a fight and Bill Meuller hit a walk-off home run off Rivera into the bullpen and the Sox season got turned around.
I've taken my mom to a game every season since. She'll be 81 in a couple of weeks.
Bobby Orr night at the garden, 1979. It was an exhibition against the Soviets, Orr had just retired after one last comeback bid with the Hawks. The ovation wouldn't stop, and they couldn't get on with the ceremony...
I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned Game 5, ALDS vs. Cleveland. The expressions on the faces of the Cleveland fans as a clearly-hurt Pedro mowed them down, and the whole "walk Nomar-O'Leary hits a granny/walk Nomar-O'Leary hits a 3 run bomb/don't walk Nomar, he smacks an RBI double" sequence. Definitely one of my personal favorites!
EDIT! Whoops, I'd completely forgotten that Nomar homered in the first, and that O'Leary got intentionally walked after Nomar's double - so between them, three IBB, three HR, 5 runs scored, 10 RBI; Pedro in relief, 6 IP, 0 hits 0 runs 3 BB 8 K
EDIT! Whoops, I'd completely forgotten that Nomar homered in the first, and that O'Leary got intentionally walked after Nomar's double - so between them, three IBB, three HR, 5 runs scored, 10 RBI; Pedro in relief, 6 IP, 0 hits 0 runs 3 BB 8 K
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This is a great one.
I was at a Super Bowl Party in Seattle where I was living at the time, and I was the only Pats fan there. Everyone was rooting for the Rams, even some people who weren't Rams fans. When this happened I got so amped I just started jumping around and saying "We're gonna win! We're gonna win!"
People thought I was crazy. They and I were both right.
My son and I had tix for game two of the ALCS. We boarded a flight in Newark that would get us to Boston in time to be able to watch the Pats game at a bar near Fenway. The flight was massively delayed with no end in sight, and I somehow talked our way off the plane, as I decided that I would rather drive up with the game on the radio than risk missing the Pats while we were in the air or, even worse, landing too late to be on time for the Sox. Three aspects of the drive up will never leave me. One, we stopped at a bar on the outskirts of Boston in time to watch several crappy plays by the Pats offense near the end of the game, including an awful Brady pick. When the pick happened and the game looked over, we got in the car and started driving closer to Fenway, as it was getting a little too close to game time. Two, hearing the call of the game winning pass to Tompkins. I was driving by the giant parking lot on Beacon and almost drove off the road. Three, after somehow finding a spot on a side street, running into Fenway with my son as if we were on air.
We were with a client and one of his friends from Detroit at the Sox game. That friend was loud and celebrating the inevitable Tigers win throughout. For my then 12-year old son, it was pretty miserable. It wasn't a lot better for me. In any event, my son was pretty despondent until Papi hit his bomb, and then everything changed. Delirium, again.
"Good times" doesn't do it justice. It was nothing less than one of my favorite days with my son, and also one of my favorite days as a Boston sports fan that did not involve winning a title.
Late edit: added "not" to the last sentence
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1. Not sure of the year, but I think it's 1969. Celtics are in the finals and game 6 will be the last game in Boston Garden whether the series goes 7 or not. So everyone knows this will be the last game ever in Boston for Sam Jones. They announce his name first and he trots out to mid court. And the ovation builds and builds and just doesn't stop. And keeps getting louder and louder. Fantastic,
2. I'm At Fenway. Game against Minnesota. Manny is out of the lineup because there are rumors he is gonna be traded. Late in the game you hear noise because he apppears in uniform in the dugout. Comes out to pinch hit. Place goes nuts. RBI base hit up the middle. By far my favorite player of that era. I loved him more than Pedro or Papi for some reason.
2. I'm At Fenway. Game against Minnesota. Manny is out of the lineup because there are rumors he is gonna be traded. Late in the game you hear noise because he apppears in uniform in the dugout. Comes out to pinch hit. Place goes nuts. RBI base hit up the middle. By far my favorite player of that era. I loved him more than Pedro or Papi for some reason.
Even better, in 40 years, on Grandsons of Sam Horn, he'll be in a thread just like this telling people about one of his favorite memories of racing around Boston with his dad...
Edit: That's GoSH with the short O people...
I think this is one of the reasons I started this thread - I know very little about Sam Jones. Now I know to explore around in search of Sam Jones lore... thank you.
Same day as this (I think) but not this moment.
It was when the crowd erupted in a huge standing ovation for Mariano Rivera. That was one of the best things I've ever seen, and really says a lot about what makes this fanbase so special.
- Had tickets to a random July 2001 game vs the White Sox. This ended up being Nomar's first game of the season recovering from his wrist injury. I've never heard Fenway louder than when he was introduced in the lineups before the game.
- "Wake up the damn Bambino, maybe I'll drill him the ass"
- Vinatieri and surrounding players clearing the field of as much snow as possible before his game winning kick vs the Raiders
- "Wake up the damn Bambino, maybe I'll drill him the ass"
- Vinatieri and surrounding players clearing the field of as much snow as possible before his game winning kick vs the Raiders